My client is a small woman-owned business specializing in providing natural and cultural resource planning services, ecological restoration, and NEPA documentation. The cultural resources department at continues to experience significant and sustained growth and is looking to further strengthen our built environment capabilities by hiring a candidate with a strong background in architectural history or historic preservation who will serve as our Senior Architectural Historian.
Our typical compliance-based projects involve the identifying, documenting, and evaluating above-ground architectural resources for Section 106 compliance for DOT, Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, and other federally funded & administered projects. More elaborate Section 106 projects have included trails within NRHP-eligible or listed districts, relocation of NRHP eligible properties, evaluation of adverse effect to eligible or listed buildings, rehabilitation of a Registered Texas Historic Landmark, the development of historic contexts, interpretive signage, HABS documentation, and drafting Memorandum of Agreements. The selected candidate will also have the opportunity to build Preservation, which is a branch of the cultural resources department focused on helping community members nominate NRHP properties and districts, obtain state and federal funding through Historic Preservation Tax Credit Programs, and assist developers with the rehabilitation of historic buildings.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master's degree in architectural history or historic preservation
- Excellent understanding of cultural resources regulations and NRHP eligibility requirements
- Minimum of 5 years of professional experience with supervisory roles
- Proven ability to create budgets, manage personnel, and manage a project from start to finish
- Meet TxDOT precertification requirements for both Historical Research (2.15.1) and Historical Survey and Documentation (2.15.2) of Historic Buildings, Structures, Landscapes, and Objects
- Self-motivated with proven experience working independently with little supervision
- Possess strong verbal communication skills
- Working knowledge of digital photography
- Extensive experience conducting research and documenting resources for technical reports
- Ability to develop field methodologies that utilize standards and procedures for obtaining NHPA Section 106 approvals
- Thorough understanding of the Microsoft Office suite
- Proven ability to complete multiple tasks simultaneously and at a rapid pace
- Valid driver's license
Ideal Qualifications:
- Minimum of 8 years of experience
- Ability to prepare applications for state and federal Historic Preservation Tax Credit Programs and receiving agency approvals
- Meets TxDOT precertification requirements for 2.7.2 4(f) evaluations
- Proven experience working with community stakeholders and developing client relations
Duties:
- This position requires approximately 10 percent fieldwork and 90 percent office-related tasks. The most frequent and essential work activities will be related to ensure project compliance with Section 106 of the NHPA, and will include: performing detailed background and archival research, property searches, or deed/title research through both physical and online sources; conducting historic resource surveys; preparing historic resource survey reports, assist in preparing NEPA documents, and preparing agency coordination letters; developing historic contexts for evaluating properties; evaluating NRHP eligibility; and assessing project effects to resources. From a historic preservation standpoint, tasks will also include working with senior management to develop and implement strategies that will build the historic preservation department.
-These may include developing and distributing marketing materials, working with community leaders and stakeholders to develop historic preservation goals, collaborating with local cities, municipalities, and property owners to create NRHP nominations for buildings and/or districts, and completing state and federal historic tax credit applications.
Ideally, the selected applicant will be required to work from the IES offices in McKinney, Denton, or Waco, Texas. However, for the right candidate, a hybrid remote and office schedule may be permitted.
